Theresa May played hardball with the EU today as she put off travelling to Brussels until next week after Jean-Claude Juncker insisted the Brexit deal was the 'best possible' and could not be renegotiated.

Cabinet ministers dismissed the EU's scramble to reject Mrs May's demands on Brexit today as 'just what the EU does'.

European Commission president Mr Juncker and negotiator Michel Barnier led the 'noise' from Europe and warned last night's showdown votes in the Commons 'do not change' the divorce terms.

British ministers stayed cool in the face of the rush to condemn last night's showdown votes in Parliament that handed Mrs May a mandate to renegotiate the backstop plan for the Irish border.

They told MailOnline the EU 'never makes any kind of deal until the last moment' and today's 'blank denials' were just 'noise'.

In response, the Prime Minister is expected to hold off face-to-face talks for days as she undertakes a frantic round of phone diplomacy.